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Musings on Raghuveera Gadhyam--Nov 7, 1996

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • November 7, 1996 


GS 24 : ANANYA SAASANEEYA ! JAYA! JAYA !

( Meaning ) :O Lord who can not to be commanded by any one !
Hail to Thee ! Hail to Thee ! 

(musings ) : The subject matter covered in sargas 79 to 112 
of AyodhyA KhAndam of Srimad Valmiki RamAyaNam is what 
Swami Desikan briefly mentions here .

 The grief stricken Bharata reaches chitrakootam  intent on bringing his elder
brother 
to AyodhyA and crown him as the emperor . He is accompanied by his three
mothers, Acharya VasishtA , Sage Jabaali , the members of his
army and camp followers. Bharata leaves his entourage behind and 
walks with his mothers and Acharya to the ParNasAla (hut) made up of 
leafy twigs , where Sri Rama , Sita and LakshmaNa were living. Bharatha
falls at the feet of his elder brother and begs him  to return to AyodhyA
and ascend the throne of IshvAkus , now that Dasartha has ascended
to heaven. Rama faints at the news of his father's passing away and 
goes to MandAkini river bank and performs TarpaNam for his deceased
father. 

Bharatha implores Rama now fervently to oblige him by ascending the 
throne of IshvAkus with the concurrence of his own mother Kaikeyi , who
retracts the boon given to her by her late husband. Bharatha threatens to stay 
in the forest , if Rama does not return to AyodhyA. Rama silences his brother 
with cogent reasons as to why he could not disavow the pledge he made to
his father to relinquish the throne in favor of Bharata . Now, Sage JabAli takes

another approach and uses the thory of Naastikaas to convince Rama that
he should accept the throne . Rama dismisses the arguments of Sage
JabAli as hollow and points out that his line of thinking was against 
Dhaarmic principles. Acharya VasishtA now pacifies the angry Rama
and commands him to accept the  throne as the eldest son of Emperor
Dasaratha. Acharya Vasishta points out that the Guru is superior to
one's parents in rank and that Rama should obey him.Rama politely , 
but firmly points out that the parents are indeed superior to one's own Acharya 
and insists that he could not break the pledge that he gave to his father .  

Bharatha in desperation vows to fast unto death to pressure his 
resolute brother. Rama points out that it would be a repugnant step
for a KshatriyA to committ suicide in this fashion . The hopeles Bharata
now offers to stay in the forest as a proxy to Rama so that Rama can
return to AyodhyA . The firm Rama dismisses that offer of Bharatha 
and points out that the question of proxy comes into the picture only
when one is incapacitated and there is no reason for taking that route.
Rama states that he will return to AyodhyA only after the 14 years of
exile as per his promise to his father. The frustrated Bahratha now places a 
new PadhukA (sandals) at the feet of Rama and requests Rama to step on it.
Rama accedes to Bharata's request . Bharata swears in front of all 
the assembled that he will rule the kingdom as the representative of 
Rama Padhuka and will step into fire at the end of the 14 yers , if Rama
does not return from exile to accept his kingdom. Rama pledges to 
return and take over the kingdom at the end of the period of exile. 

This incident at Chitrakootam , where Rama refused to be commanded
by any one including his mothers, Acharya Vasishta , Sage JAbAli and 
Bharatha is what Swami Desikan had in mind ,when he salutes Rama as 
" ANANYA SAASANEEYA ! JAYA ! JAYA ! " .

THE STATE OF HELPLESNESS OF BHARATHA IS VERY MUCH 
LIKE ALL THE RAMA BHAKTHAS , WHO CAN NOT BEAR TO BE 
SEPARATED FROM SRI RAMACHANDRA. The great Rama Bhaktha ,
the guru of Chatrapathi Sivaji, Samartha Raamdaas ( AD 1608-1680 ) 
described his feelings over separation from Rama this way in his 
work known as Daasabodh : 

" I WANT NOT WEALTH , NOR WIFE OR REBIRTHS
I WANT NOT IN ME THE PRIDE OF KNOWLEDGE.

BY THE PATH OF WORSHIP (BHAKTI ) LEAD ME 
TO A LIFE OF GOODNESS .

I HAVE NO SKILL OF MIND , NO POWER OF THOUGHT,
NO WISDOM OR STREGTH OF REASON.

I AM THY IGNORANT BAHKTHA ,GIVE ME AN UNDERSTANDING
HEART, O RAM .

I KNOW NOT HOW TO TALK OR ACT. I DO NOT UNDERRSTAND
MY DUTIES.

I AM GREATLY TROUBLED BY MY RELATIONS WITH MEN.GIVE ME AN
UNDERSTANDING HEART , O RAM.

AS I LISTEN TO THE EXPLANATION OF THE SCRIPTURES, 
A GOOD THOUGHT ENTERS MY MIND; BUT IT SOON PASSES AWAY
AS THE TIME OF GIVING UP THE FRUIT ARRIVES. 

BUT WHAT SHALL I DO , O RAM , I AM UNABLE TO DO
WHAT I OUGHT .

O RAM ! I CAN NOT ENDURE LIFE WITHOUT THEE . "

Saint Thyagaraja , another in the front line of great Rama Bahkthas 
plaintively pleads to Sri Rama  in his PurnachandrikA krithi,
" Sri Rama Rama Jagadhaatma Rama , Sri Rama Raghurama"
that Sri Rama , the soul of the Universe should not go away  from 
him . He says " TVAAM VINA NAANYATRA JAANEH RAMA ,TVAAM 
VINAA KO GATHI ? " . I KNOW NOTHING BEYOND YOU . WITHOUT
YOU WHaT REFUGE IS THERE ? Elsewhere , the Saint points out to
Sri Rama in his Naayaki krithi " Nee Bhajana gaana " that he has in 
vain explored fully the Saguna margam , the NirguNa margam , 
the truth and falsehood , the six schools and the eight siddhis .
He has not found the answers that he was looking for. 
He concludes by stating that there is naught but Youas the redeemer .

Such is the greatness of Rama Bhakthas , who can not bear even for a 
moment to part company with Sri Ramachandra like the blessed brother Bharatha .

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan